Chinese social media app TikTok has expressed gratitude to President-elect Donald Trump for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance” after confirming it is in the process of restoring service in the United States.
This development follows Trump’s pledge to restore access to TikTok, which had ceased functioning in the US on Saturday night to comply with the Biden administration’s ban order.
In a post on X on Sunday, TikTok said, “In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.”
The post further added, “It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to issue an executive order on Monday to delay the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 90 days.
“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” he said.
“The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order. Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” he added.
He also outlined a proposal for the US to hold a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture involving TikTok.
“I would like the US to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up. Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions,” he said.
“Therefore, my initial thought is a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners, whereby the US gets a 50% ownership in a joint venture set up between the US and whichever purchase we so choose,” he added.
TikTok went offline in the US on Saturday night (local time), just hours before a law banning the app was set to take effect, CNN reported.
Users who tried to access the platform were met with a message stating, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
The ban follows a Supreme Court ruling on Friday that upheld a law passed with bipartisan support in Congress and signed by US President Joe Biden in April.
(Inputs from IANS)